Yakshas are considered the repositories of riches. Their lord, Kubera, is identified with inexhaustible wealth. Yakshas have also been worshipped as ‘tree-deities’, who grant boons to worshippers. They are gifted with the art of singing. Some scholars believe yaksha worship to be a pre-Aryan feature that slowly got absorbed into the Aryan pantheon. This is suggested by the fact that similar human-like stone figures of yakshas have been found extensively, dating from a time when the Vedic deities were not imagined in human-like forms.
In the epics, there are various theories about the origin of yakshas. The Ramayana says Brahma created some beings to guard the waters. Those who cried ‘Rakshamah, let us guard’ were called rakshasas, while those who cried ‘Yakshamah, let us gobble’ were called yakshas. Since then, rakshasas and yakshas have been similar, but opposing creatures. The Mahabharata says yakshas were created from the cosmic egg. The Puranas mention Rishi Kashyapa or Rishi Kapila as their father.
The most famous story related to yakshas is that of yaksha-prashna from the Mahabharata. While the Pandavas were living in the forest, a Brahmin came to them with a request to retrieve his arani—a pair of wooden blocks used to start a fire that had been caught on a deer’s antlers. The Pandavas followed the deer hoofprints into the forest and searched for long.
They became thirsty. Nakula found a beautiful lake but was warned by a crane to answer his questions first. Nakula ignored the crane and drank from the lake, dying instantly. Sahadeva, Arjuna and Bhima also died similarly. Finally, when Yudhishthira was warned by the crane, he agreed to answer the questions. The crane revealed himself as a yaksha and asked Yudhishthira more than a hundred questions. Satisfied by Yudhishthira’s answers, the yaksha asked him to choose one of his brothers to be revived. When Yudhishthira chose Nakula, so that his step-mother Madri should also have a son living, the Yaksha was so impressed that he revived all the brothers.
Another famous story is from the Ramayana. It is said the yakshas had built Lanka out of gold. Kubera used to rule over it, but was overthrown by his half-brother Ravana who was a rakshasa. Kubera and the yakshas moved north and established a new city near Kailasa. It was called Alakapuri and was said to be surrounded by Alakananda, a tributary of the River Ganga.
In Buddhism, yakshas are called yakkhas and four types are mentioned—benevolent, malevolent, ambivalent and neutral. Malevolent yakkhas found pleasure in hurting human beings. Buddha converted many of these to benevolent ones, who protected humans. In Thailand, yaksha images are quite popular as guardians of the gates of Buddhist temples.
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